Naughty 19 Kiss 39

The whole room falls quiet the moment they enter. Stephanie looks around and officially becomes frightened. Familiar faces. Friendly smiles. And all those mischievous and curious eyes. She
grabs hold of Ranger's arm(yes, in a death grip)and nervously blinks. She tries very hard not to feel small or scared. They are Ranger's family. They are not going to eat her. They will probably just bury her with tons of questions. And the problem is she doesn't know if she has all the answers.  

She knows her smile must look more like a grimace, but that's the best she can manage at this moment. She hopes her eyes are not twitching. She hopes she looks smart and competent. She hopes she won't knock over and smash something and make herself look stupid. She hopes Ranger's family will like her.  She hopes they will approve of her. She hopes she can remember all the names and the faces. She hopes she knows what to do if they decide she's not good enough for their Carlos. She leans into Ranger's side and feels his warmth. She relaxes and calms down a little when he wraps an arm around her. They now share a life and are in this together. And the fact that she knows he won't let go of her helps her breathe more easily. 

Stephanie soon forgets her awkwardness once the dinner begins. The food is amazing and delicious.  She laughs along when someone tells a joke. She raises her glass and drinks to the toasts. And it doesn't take long for her to find that she really, really likes Grandma Rosa and Ranger's parents—Isabela reminds her of her always worrying mother, and it's apparent that Ranger got his smile from Juan Carlos. Grandma Rosa is so stern but so sweet. And Stephanie also knows that Ranger's elder brother and sisters and aunts and uncles and cousins are all trying their best to refrain from asking her all kinds of most interesting but embarrassing questions. Maybe it's because they are being kind and thoughtful and considerate. Maybe it's because Ranger is sitting beside her with a charming yet somewhat intimidating smile on his face. She appreciates their efforts anyway.

She actually jumps in joy when Sofía and Ariana—Ranger's elder sisters—hand her a large box of leftovers  and a giant chunk of the birthday cake and falls asleep on the drive home. When she wakes up the next morning, she's all alone in the 7-floor apartment. Ranger, as usual, has already gone to work. Stephanie lies in the heavenly king-size bed thinking. She has no memory of Ranger carrying her from the Turbo to their bed or undressing her, but she remembers her dream vividly. She blushes fiercely and covers her face.


She has just dreamed of their wedding. And their baby, the Batbaby...

~End Of Kiss 39: I Dream A Dream~